The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-03
ADVICE ABOUT SOILING-
Crops That Afford n Good and Reliable
Succession of Feed.

Crops That Afford n Good and Reliable
Succession of Feed.
Soiling has its advantages and disad-
vantages, and under favorable circum-
stances it may be adopted with much
profit. As the animals do not tread
the crops with their hoofs, a heavier
growth is obtained from the same area,
usually computed as about double. 1t
does away to a great extent with the
necessity for fences. 1t contributes to
the manufacture of more manure. The
objections to it are the additional caro-
and labor, and when land is cheap and
fields extensive, the owner will feel dis
posed to let the cattle have full range
and gather their own food. The saw
ing in quantity is a matter of less con-
sequence to him. But when the land
is fertile and high-priced. systematic
soiling may pay well; for the owner
will find it to be important to obtain
as much feed as practicable for his linn
tied area, and he will have the benefit
of easy cutting and short haul.
To adopt an economical system of
labor, it will be desirable to have Il herd
sufficiently large to warrant the daily
or bi-weekly use of the moving nIa-
chine, and horse-rakes for gathering
The feed and wagons to draw it. On
very small places the owner must de-
pend on his hand labor, and OIL having
sufficient personal leisure to do the
work. There is no question that when
the country becomes older and land
more valuable. soiling will become
more common in summer, in connec-
ton with ensilage for winter. although
the additional care which it will re-
quire will be constant temptation to
continue the common practice of
grazing.
The following crops will afford a
good succession of feed: 1. The first
succulent food in spring may be OBJ
tanned from field parsnips, which may
be planted the previous year to suf1i-
cicnt extent to give the animals each
half bushel or more daily, in cOnnec-
ton with dry fodder. readily yielding
from five hundred to eight hundred
bushels al acre. They may be rapidly
dug from the soil where they grew, by
using common plow close to the side
of the row and a subsoil plow under
uheui. We find it easy to raise them on
rich land for five cents buShel, and
they are the only root crop which may
safely remain all winter where they
grew, and thus save much labor re-
CURED for harvesting and storing other
crops for winter. 2. The second crop,
closely following the parsnips. is winter
rye, heavily sown early in autumn, and
giving an abundance of green food in
May. 8. Next is orchard grass, an
early and rank grower. 4. Then
red clover, and 5, peas and oats.
6. Corn. sown in burrows at the rate
of bushel or two an acre, may be
made to give successive crops from
August till autumnal frosts. Hungarian
grass sown early in summer, and cut
before the seed forms. will give good
feed in August. Peas and oats will be
a good crop towards the latter half of
summer. As barley will endure fall
frosts, when corn and other crops are
killed. crop of barley sown late enough
to give copious supply OF green food
before winter, will be found valuable.
Sorghum may be used to advantage for
late crop, taking care to feed it before
the exterior of the stalks becomes hard
and horny. or else by cutting it fine in
-salk-cutter. 1t is longer in drying
than corn, and may be kept fresh later
latter being cut up. There will be an
advantage in planting several different
crops for soiling. as they often succeed
alike in different seasons.
| After the green barley has come to
an end, the succulent food from the silo
will come into use for the winter. Mod
ifications and improvements on this
series of crops may. of course. be sug.
gested and adopted by differeLt farmers.
Country Gentleman.